EMPHASER EA1300 Nstallation & Operation Manual - 3. Amplifier Mounting

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2.3 SPEAKER IMPEDANCE & POWER WIRE INFO

It is recommended that you follow the optimum speaker / subwoofer impedance info suggested 

below.  

EA285   ➡  

4/2 ohms stereo / 4 ohms mono bridged 

EA485   ➡  

4/2 ohms stereo / 4 ohms mono bridged

EA1300 ➡  

4/2 ohms mono / 4 ohms in Master / Slave mode

3. AMPLIFIER MOUNTING

  ATTENTION! For your own safety, disconnect the negative battery terminal 

(GND) or remove the main fuse in the positive power cable near the car battery, 

before you start any wiring work!

Before you proceed to install this EMPHASER amplifier, it is recommended to map out the 

complete system and the respective wiring required. Consider all additional electrical require-

ments and accessories, such as power cables, interconnect cables etc., to complete the install. 

Please note that - because of possible interference problems with the existing car electrics and 

electronics - especially the routing of the signal cables and the chassis ground connection will 

have a profound impact on the trouble-free (noise free!) operation of the amplifier. 

The mounting location should be carefully selected and in the interest of passive driver and 

passenger safety, the amplifier must be securely mounted. Make sure that there is no wiring 

harness, fuel tank etc. behind or below the mounting surface, that may be damaged by the drill-

ing of the holes for the amplifier mounting screws. After installation, there should be a clearance 

of at least 5 cm to all sides including the top of the amplifier heatsink. Make sure the unit is not 

exposed to direct sunlight, humidity, water, oil or spill of other fluids that may enter the amplifier.

Once the location where the amplifier will be mounted is defined, use the unit as a template for 

the marking of the mounting holes with pencil or felt-tip marker. The mounting holes should be 

pilot-drilled, using a 2,5 mm or 3 mm drill bit. Bolt the amp down.

IMPORTANT! There must not be a direct contact of the amplifier heatsink, bottom panel or any 

other metal part of the amplifier to the vehicle metal panel! Electrical ground-loops will cause 

audible hum!

4. WIRE ROUTING

4.1 MAIN POWER WIRES

We recommend a minimum main power cable cross-section (5m total length) of 16 mm², 

for both the positive and the ground wires. Following these recommendations guarantees a 

trouble-free operation of your amplifier, as well as full power output. 

Run the positive main power cable („+12 V“) directly from the positive terminal of the car bat-

tery to the amplifier. For protection of your car audio system against electrical fire hazards, 

resulting from a short-circuit of the main power cable to chassis ground a main fuse holder 

must be inserted within the first 30 cm of the positive main power cable. The applicable fuse 

value must be matched to the limitations of your main power cable AND the current draw of 

the amplifier – therefore choose an appropriate fuse value.

Attach the ground cable to the amplifier. In most cases it will be best to keep the ground cable 

(„-12 V“) as short as possible, i.e. to find a chassis contact very close to the amplifier. The 

ground power wire must have the same cross-section as the positive power cable. The contact 

point where the ground wire is attached to, must be solid and clean, i.e. free from rust or paint!

Tighten both power input terminals of the amplifier, and double check for perfect fit of both 

main cable leads!

4.2 RCA & REMOTE WIRES

For best interference free transmission of the music signal, use double or triple shielded RCA 

interconnects only. Twisted pair Interconnects offer excellent noise rejection as well. Route the 

RCA interconnects away from potential sources of Interference, such as engine computers, 

gas pumps, etc.

Carefully run the audio signal interconnects, the remote wire and – if applicable - the cable 

of the low pass level remote control (EA1300 only) from the head unit or dashboard to the 

amplifier. As mentioned before, the audio signal cables should always be routed completely 

separate from the power cables. Connect the remote (turn on/turn off) lead to the respective 

input terminal of the amplifier and to the remote output of your head-unit. Now you can con-

nect the RCA interconnects to the respective outputs of your head-unit and to the inputs of the 

amplifier. Pay attention to connect the stereo interconnects correspondingly, left is 1CH, right 

is always 2CH a.s.o. 

4.3 LOUDSPEAKER WIRES

For longer distances to the speakers, it is best to use 1.5 mm² or 2.5 mm² speaker cables to 

avoid a loss of power or risk degradation of the signal quality. 

Once the speaker cables have been routed, turn loose the screws of the speaker terminal 

binding posts and – after inserting the stripped and bare speaker cable ends – re-tighten the 

screws. Maintain correct polarity („+“ to „+“; „-„ to „-„).

Close the electrical circuit by attaching the ground wire to the battery and switch on your head 

unit. The status bar below the EMPHASER logo should turn on. If the status bar does not il-

luminate, your installation is wrong! Immediately turn off your head-unit and carefully re-check 

all installation and wiring steps!